The Royal Australian Air Force and City of Newcastle expect up to 100,000 people to line the city's coast during an air show in November.
The Air Force Newcastle Williamtown Air Show 2023 will comprise two flying displays over Newcastle's beaches and harbour on Saturday, November 18, and an open day at Williamtown RAAF base on November 19.
RAAF head of air shows Air Commodore Micka Gray and lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes said at a media conference in Newcastle on Friday that they were planning for a large crowd.
"We expect people from all around Australia," Air Commodore Gray said.
"Previous air shows we attract a lot of people. It could be 50,000, even up to 100,000 people, and we're certainly planning for that."
Crowd numbers at the Sunday event will be limited to fewer than 50,000 to ensure people can travel smoothly to the base.
The Saturday morning and afternoon flying displays will include modern and historic war planes and the Roulettes display team.
The RAAF will designate an exclusion zone for aerobatics off the coast from Fort Scratchley.
"Most of the air force fleet will be flying up the coast from Merewether then down the river," Air Commodore Gray said. "There's so many viewing points here, and that's one of the reasons we chose to do it here instead of the base."
The Sunday ground exhibition will include the new F-35A Lightning II joint strike fighter, Super Hornets, Growler electronic attack aircraft, Hercules transporter, Wedgetail early-warning plane, historic Mustang and Spitfire fighters and Hudson and Canberra bombers.
Tickets for the base event go on sale in September.
The RAAF conducts an air show at a major RAAF base every two years as part of its community engagement strategy.
The last Williamtown air show in 2010 did not include a flying display over Newcastle.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Join the discussion in the comment section below.
